SYDNEY — Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa on Friday said the stationing of US Marines in Australia needed to be better explained to all countries in Asia to avoid "mistrust".
In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Natalegawa also called on Australia to "wage aggressive peace" in the region and accept that the rise of China was natural and not threatening.
The United States announced in November a plan to station some 2,500 Marines in remote Darwin by 2016-17, which was seen by some as an acknowledgement of Washington's concern about China's growing assertiveness.
Natalegawa said he understood the deployment of Marines was not directed at Indonesia "but unless (understanding) is properly disseminated, it could create mistrust among others".
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